The Honorary Vice President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, Dr. Brigitte Rusche, has received the Professor Niklas Medal, the highest award of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). She was honored for her many years of commitment to animal welfare.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir presented the Professor Niklas Medal to Dr. Brigitte Rusche yesterday evening in Berlin as part of the Political Harvest Thanksgiving. According to the Federal Minister, she has been committed to animal welfare for several decades with great persuasiveness and perseverance and has earned national and international recognition through her expertise and objective, constructive and integrative manner.
“We warmly congratulate our Honorary Vice President. Dr. Brigitte Rusche has been responsible for the scientific work of the German Animal Welfare Federation for decades. With her expertise, she has strengthened animal welfare at federal level and in Europe in commissions and round tables. The award is more than deserved,” said a delighted Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
PROMOTION OF ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO LIMIT ANIMAL TESTING
Dr. Brigitte Rusche has played a key role in shaping the work of the German Animal Welfare Federation since 1983. She was Vice President of the association for over 20 years until she did not stand for re-election in 2023, but was elected Honorary Vice President. From 1993, she established the Academy for Animal Welfare in Neubiberg, which still serves as the scientific animal welfare competence center of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
Dr. Brigitte Rusche worked on various committees. For example, she chaired the Foundation for the Promotion of Research into Alternative and Complementary Methods to Restrict Animal Experiments (SET), was a member of the Bavarian Animal Welfare Advisory Board, the DAFA Expert Forum for Farm Animals and the Federal Animal Welfare Commission. To this day, she represents the German Animal Welfare Federationin several foundations.
The BMEL awards the Professor Niklas Medal once a year to selected individuals for outstanding services and achievements in food, agriculture and forestry and for the benefit of people working in these areas. The medal is named after the first Minister of Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany, Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Wilhelm Niklas.
